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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164924">Properly falling in love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yanniwrites/pseuds/yanniwrites'>yanniwrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fashion &amp; Models, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Fashion &amp; Couture, Friends to Lovers, High School, Insecurity, M/M, Modeling, Old Friends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:48:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,871</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yanniwrites/pseuds/yanniwrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>" 'Why did you take that photo?'<br/>What a dumb question. Because he looked absolutely amazing. His posing and his demeanor during a shoot made the photos for the campaigns turn out wonderfully, but when he was being that natural, that was when his true beauty came through.<br/>'Who knows? You looked good to me, so I did it.' "</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Modern day AU in which Takumi is a photographer, Leo a model and Oboro a fashion designer.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Leon | Leo/Takumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Properly falling in love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Gosh, I'm so sorry for being such a horrible writer and never posting anything. I guess I'm never happy or it's never finished.<br/>So, if you clicked on this, even though it has the most bottom of the barrel summary (an excerpt), then thank you. You're my MVP.<br/>Sorry, it's very short. I hope you can still enjoy it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A glance, a smile. A wave, a laugh. A wink, a nod.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everything looked so effortlessly perfect; so effortlessly seductive.<br/>This wasn't just a pretty face, this was more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everything about him seemed like it was carved out of marble. He had glowing skin, bright shining eyes and a body to die for. He carried himself in a way that would make anyone get inherently drawn towards him.<br/>Takumi had never thought of anyone as perfect, but no matter how much he didn't like it, by God, he had to admit, this young model truly was beautiful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Very good, we've got it!" Oboro's voice seemed to suck him back into reality.<br/>He slowly lowered the camera, away from his face. "Thank you very much, Leo-kun. That was great. You can change now."<br/>Leo got up from the chair. He turned his back towards them and slipped off the coat he was wearing and folded it over his arm. His one knee was still resting on the chair. He seemed to exhale, then smile ever so slightly.<br/>Takumi almost instinctively lifted the camera again, snapping another photo.<br/>Leo jerked and turned around to him. "I'm sorry? I thought it was over for now?"<br/>Takumi gripped onto the camera. "Ah... I..." He gulped and his eyes shifted to the side. "I'm sorry, I must not have heard..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo raised an eyebrow. He was about to say something, when Oboro raised her voice again: "Actually that looks really nice. Come take a look."<br/>Leo walked past Takumi towards the monitor. He looked at it, then his eyes slowly shifted to Takumi, who was trying to keep a straight face towards him. For a moment he practically stared at him.<br/>"I think I'd be happy, if this wasn't used in the campaign, though," he said.<br/>So, he didn't like the photo.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oboro looked at him, but didn't reply. She looked at Takumi for a second, then sighed. "Take a break, please and then please put on the outfit the dresser has prepared for you."<br/>Leo nodded. He walked past Takumi, as he slightly grabbed his arm and ever so quietly said: "Will you come to my cloakroom, when you take your break?"<br/>Without even waiting for his reply, he let go of him and continued walking out of the room.<br/>Takumi gulped as he looked after him.<br/>Whenever he wanted to talk to him, after a shooting, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. Leo was eager to do everything the right way. He had high expectations for the people he worked with as well therefore and apparently Takumi didn't meet them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Whenever he would ask him to spend his break with him, he'd start asking him questions about the photos he took and why he'd take certain photos of him that "other photographers would just brush over". It was incredibly uncomfortable being in one room with him. Now that he had so subconsciously snapped another photo of him, he'd certainly be interrogated again.<br/>"What did he say just now?" he heard Oboro ask. He looked at her for a moment. "He just wants to spend his break with me, I guess." She clapped into her hands. "You're a lucky man, aren't you? You're getting to have some alone time with him."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Leo ever invited him to spend his breaks with any kind of romantic thought in mind. "What are you even implying there? That's outrageous," he answered.<br/>Oboro crossed her arms in front of her chest. "How is it outrageous? Weren't you the one to tell me before that you had a huge crush on him in high school? Also, Leo has invited you to spend his breaks with him on almost every job you two do together, hasn't he? Of course anyone would think it's because..."<br/>"It's because he keeps criticizing me for the work I do. I'm not a skilled enough photographer to work with someone as perfect as him and he'll let me know that every chance he gets. And that crush I used to have is nothing that concerns my professional relationship with him. He never liked me back anyways," he interrupted her.<br/>Oboro's expression started to look a little sympathetic. "But Takumi, that can't be right..." Her voice had gotten quiet by now. He rolled his eyes in reply. "Of course it can be. Just because I liked him, doesn't mean he'd ever liked me back. I was just the loser him and his friends could make fun of."<br/>She looked at the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi sighed and turned around. "Now, excuse me." He went out of the room, starting his dreading walk towards Leo's cloakroom.<br/>Shortly before he arrived, a whiff of coffee hit him.<br/>He sighed and knocked on the door to which Leo almost immediately responded. He smiled. "C'mon in."<br/>Takumi gritted his teeth.<br/>How, unfairly attractive he looked with that smile on his face.<br/>He certainly didn't mean it, but it could fool anybody.<br/>It was unbelievable that his face still had that kind of effect on him, even though he should long have moved on from him. Takumi sat down on the couch in the middle of the room. Leo closed the door and sat down facing him. "I ordered some miso soup for our lunch today. I know you really like it. But for now, would you like some coffee?"<br/>He poured two mugs of coffee and placed them in front of him.<br/>Takumi laid his head in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "So you intend me to spend my lunch break with you as well?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo looked to the ground and smiled slightly.<br/>What a beautiful picture this would make...<br/>"I'd certainly be happy about that."<br/>Happy about demeaning him.<br/>He should just say no, but every time he did, Leo would look at him with an expression that he never seemed to show to anyone. It was a smile, but a horribly sad one.<br/>Did he just want to spend his time with him, because they had known each other for so long?<br/>They had been in high school together... But it wasn't like they were friends or close by any means. In fact, Leo had already been a douche back then. He was so backhandedly nice, it was disgusting. In their first year, Takumi had taken a photo of him, kind of on a whim much like the one he had taken just now. Unfortunately Leo seemed to have noticed and since that day would never leave him alone anymore. Him and his friends would always come around to him, looking over his shoulder to see what photos he'd take. Usually his dumb friends would just tell him how weird he was being for taking so many photos of "irrelevant things". And if they didn't talk about that, they'd just laugh about him and how he had taken a picture of Leo on their first day of school.<br/>Why did they even want to talk to him back then? All it did to Takumi was to make him feel self conscious that the popular kids were judging him on his hobbies.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If it had just been that, perhaps he wouldn't even have carried such a big grudge with him into his adult hood, but there was one thing he could never forgive him.<br/>In their last year of highschool, shortly before their graduation, he had ordered his dumbass friends to steal his camera. Its contents were plastered around the entire school, including several pictures he had taken of Leo due to his massive crush on him.<br/>Everyone had laughed at him. He was dreading to go to school again. He had never felt that humiliated in his life. And even after that, Leo had had the audacity to attempt to talk to him, like nothing had happened, like he hadn't ruined his peaceful high school life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had considered giving up photography for good that very moment. The only reason he had pursued it again, was because of the scholarship he had gotten at the best school for photography in the country.<br/>"How do you even know I like miso soup?" he changed the subject. Leo looked to the ceiling.<br/>"From back in high school. You'd always get it in the cafeteria, when it was on the menu."<br/>Takumi looked at the mug. He remembered that? "Why do you even still know that?" he said. Leo looked at him. He almost seemed kinda hurt. "Weren't we friends in school? It's normal to know your friend's favorites..."<br/>Takumi rolled his eyes. So he had seen them as friends. How very odd, considering his friends would bully him about everything; considering he himself would never tell them off; considering he had ruined his life! "Doesn't matter. What is it that you want to say this time?"<br/>He should just get it over with. Quick.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo sighed, as he took tone of the mugs of coffee and leaned back. "Why did you take that photo?"<br/>What a dumb question. Because he looked absolutely amazing. His posing and his demeanor during a shoot made the photos for the campaigns turn out wonderfully, but when he was being that natural, that was when his true beauty came through.<br/>"Who knows? You looked good to me, so I did it."<br/>Leo sighed anew. "I don't like not being in control of the photos that are being taken," he said.<br/>"I'm aware. I'm sorry I offended the perfect model there," Takumi replied snidely.<br/>Leo seemed to grit his teeth, but quickly relaxed his face again. "I don't think you understand me."<br/>Maybe he didn't. So what if he didn't? In the end it would just get to a point of him telling him how horrible he was at his job.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi took the other mug and took a sip. "So, what do you want me to understand then?"<br/>Leo sighed. For a moment he didn't say anything and just drank his coffee.<br/>Again! This awkward silence! Each and every single time Leo wanted to talk to him, he seemed to want to say something he never came around to saying. He had already been like that in school.<br/>"You always took strange photos of me..." he finally said.<br/>Takumi looked to the side, inspecting the room.<br/>Of course he'd say that. God forbid he'd ever say anything nice about his work.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"You think so?"<br/>"Yes, when I work with someone else, it is only natural to me to know how the picture will look and if it will look good or not, but when it's with you, that control I usually have over the content of the image, seems to get ripped away from me. I quite honestly don't like that feeling of uncertainty."<br/>Leo took a sip of his coffee and looked at him. His gaze was piercing.<br/>Takumi felt his heart skip.<br/>He rolled his eyes to the side, trying to compose himself and placed the mug back on the table. "Well, I'm very sorry I don't live up to your standards, Leo. I'm sorry there's so many jobs you have to work with someone that was already so lackluster in high school, compared to you."<br/>Leo seemed to startle. "What?"<br/>Takumi gritted his teeth. Why did he look at him like that? As if he'd hurt him! He should be aware that he's hurt him way more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Takumi, I... I didn't mean it like that."<br/>Takumi got up. "Well, you've got your answer now, don't you? So I may go..."<br/>"Takumi!"<br/>Leo grabbed his wrist and slightly pulled him, which made a chill run down his spine. He tried pulling his arm away, but Leo seemed to strengthen his grip. "Please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that... It's so hard to read you. I never say the right thing."<br/>How unfair of him...<br/>Usually, to get his way, he'd simply have to smile that sad smile that almost begged for him to stay, but this... This expression was way worse than that smile.<br/>His eyes were widened, his mouth wide open. He looked frantic and desperate, as if he needed him to not go just yet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And yet... He looked so unfairly engaging.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Takumi... I know you don't like me. You've never liked me, but I... The truth is..." He clenched his teeth and threw his head to the front. His grip lightened and Takumi slipped his hand away.<br/>"What's with that face you make? Are you trying to make me feel sympathy for you? Just because you're hot, doesn't mean I'm going to get swayed by you. You can't read me, what a shame for you. I'm sorry that pisses you off so much, you had the photos of my camera plastered around the entire school our last year."<br/>Leo winced and looked up again. "What?"<br/>"Don't play dumb, asshole! It was your stupid friends that had beaten me up and stolen my camera. They did everything you told them to do." He exhaled and sunk his head.<br/>Why did he get so worked up about it again...? It was the past... "Get changed and get back to work. I don't wanna be here all day," he said as he made his way to the door. He slammed it behind himself as he exited.<br/>He took a couple of steps away from the door, then leaned against the wall.<br/>What was he doing freaking out at his model like that...?<br/>He should be over it anyways. It was in the past and it shouldn't matter to him right now that he had an actual career in the business he always wanted to pursue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yet, why did he look at him like that? Like he didn't know?!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He couldn't have been unaware of what happened in school; what his friends did to him; what he did to him.<br/>He felt his knees get weak and he sunk to the ground.<br/>Why was it Leo that he had liked so much back then?<br/>If it hadn't been him, perhaps he wouldn't be so bitter today...<br/>Perhaps Leo and him could even be friends, or even more than that...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He gritted his teeth at that thought.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What an idiot he was, still thinking like that about him after so many years. No wonder he still had such a huge effect on him now with his smile, or his sweet words, or his desperate expressions.<br/>"Takumi... What happened?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked up to see Oboro with a concerned look on her face.<br/>"I snapped at Leo..." He let his head fall to the front, as he felt a lump form in his throat.<br/>Oboro reached her hand out to him. "Would you like to tell me?"<br/>He looked up and took her hand.<br/>She walked with him to the set. "You don't need to tell me, but perhaps you want to. You seemed to have always been cautious atound him. I just don't understand why. He seemed so close to you in high school," she said.<br/>Takumi sighed and grabbed the camera from the table he had placed it on. Perhaps that as the problem. Had he not been around him all the time, perhaps he wouldn't even have noticed his crush on him. Perhaps today, he'd be able to have a normal relationship with him, without this feeling of grudge, mixed with regret towards him.<br/>"We weren't close, though..." He sighed and scrolled through his camera. "I liked him... At first... But he never liked me back. He'd always just make fun of me with his friends..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oboro sat down next to him. "His friends? You mean Niles and Odin? They were always being nice to me..."<br/>Takumi raised an eyebrow. "What? No, I mean these three dumbasses that followed him around school every day. I don't remember their names."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oboro tilted her head. "Oh... Those guys... I don't think Leo considered them his friends. They were part of the art club that he was in." She giggled. "I think they hung out with him, because he attracted so many girls. Kinda mean, if you think about it."<br/>Takumi gulped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>How very shallow. Also, they weren't friends? It sure didn't feel like that.<br/>Oboro sighed. "Those were the guys that leaked the photos from your camera, weren't they?" she suddenly asked.<br/>So, she remembered as well...<br/>Well, it was quite the event at the time.<br/>He nodded slightly. "You liked Leo a lot, didn't you? You took so many pictures of him, even when he wasn't paying attention to you..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi clenched his teeth and sunk his head. He wasn’t going to answer that. It didn't matter anymore... Or at least, it shouldn't.<br/>He glanced towards the door, when Leo came through it. He had such a presence to himself... It felt almost impossible to miss him...<br/>He looked away from him. Leo made his way towards the set and sat down on one of the sofas. He looked at the ground for a while, then his face relaxed and he looked upwards, slightly tilting his head in the process. "Are we going to start or am I too early?"<br/>Takumi winced, just like Oboro did. They both got up. "Right... I'm sorry, let's start," he said more to himself than to anyone else.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo gave him a smile, as he lifted his camera.<br/>He shot a photo, but barely looked at the viewfinder to see how the composition actually looked.<br/>It was as if his eyes were glued to Leo.<br/>He was so effortlessly beautiful, it was almost unnatural.<br/>Takumi gulped, but continued snapping photos of him, as he changed up his pose every so often.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi sighed and placed the camera on the table as he started looking through the photos on the laptop.<br/>Leo almost frantically jumped up and walked towards him.<br/>What could he still want? Why would nothing ever distance Leo from him?!<br/>He leaned over the table and looked at the photos.<br/>"It's time for lunch break, isn't it?" he said.<br/>Takumi nodded. "I guess. Good work, get yourself some food."<br/>Leo sighed in reply. "I'll bring you yours. I'm assuming you don't want to eat lunch with me," he said almost rhetorically.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi looked back the the computer. He really didn't have to bring him food. In fact, he shouldn't! It would only make him feel self-conscious.<br/>Oboro sat down next to him and looked at the photos as well.<br/>"He really likes you," she said.<br/>Takumi rolled his eyes. He highly doubted that. "Didn't you also like him?" Again with that… He leaned back and looked at her from the corner of his eye.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I did. I liked him a lot... He was so kind to me, even though I was such a loser... I think if it weren't for those three douchebags always being around him, I wouldn't have realized how backhanded his entire attitude was towards me... And I... would have properly fallen in love with him... It's good that I didn't... It was already humiliating enough the way it was..." He gulped as he felt a lump form in his throat. How awful it felt to want to cry about something like that...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oboro seemed to remain silent for a while. She clicked around in the computer, but then sighed. "God, you're an idiot! Leo would have never done that to you," she said. Takumi looked up at her. "But he did!"<br/>"No, he did not! You're so self-conscious that you interpret a guy's honest kindness as something malicious, because, in your mind, nobody would honestly like you, if they weren't like you! That's dumb, Takumi and it's always been dumb! You've chased away so many people that wanted to get closer to you with that attitude, but the one time it didn't work; the one time someone actually stayed to get to know you better, you made it work out in your own mind that he had never meant his kindness! You idiot!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi winced. She had never called him an idiot. And now she had done it twice...<br/>"Do you honestly think his stupid friends haven't told me that it was for him, when they beat me up and took my camera from me at the time?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oboro was about to say something in reply, but winced and looked to the entrance of the room. Leo stood in it, the soup in hand. He sighed and walked towards him, placing it on the table.<br/>Fuck!<br/>Did he hear?!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi turned his head towards the laptop, when Leo grabbed his hand and pulled him from the chair.<br/>He winced.<br/>Had he always been that strong?<br/>Without another word, he pulled him out of the room. Takumi gulped.<br/>Was he mad...?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why was he so scared of that? It wasn't like he had said anything wrong.<br/>He practically pushed him into his cloakroom and slammed the door shut.<br/>"What the hell do you..."<br/>"Shut up!" Leo shouted. "For once, shut up!" He seemed to clench his teeth. His head was directed towards the floor, his fists were clenched and his shoulders were pulled up.<br/>For a while it was completely silent. Takumi held onto his wrist, which Leo had pulled him by, trying to ease the dull pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Slowly, Leo's shoulders sunk again. "So, that's what you meant there... When you said I had your photos plastered around school..." He leaned against the door and sighed, as he threw his head back. "There's no need to apologize, Leo. I..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm not going to," again he interrupted him. He looked at him now, it was almost piercing. "I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't do."<br/>Takumi winced. Was he trying to shit him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Do you think I'm an idiot? Just because you didn't actively do it, doesn't mean you didn't initiate it. I know you..."<br/>He winced, when Leo's face turned dark. "I said I didn't do it. You say you know. What do you know? That I made them do it? That they were my friends? What do you know, if you haven't even considered asking me about any of this?" He sighed. "Yes, I do think you're an idiot." He took some steps towards him, making Takumi wince. "I think you're an idiot, because never in your blind rage and sorrow against me for that supposed thing I did, have you even considered talking to me, the supposed initiator." Takumi took some steps back. "So, you think I made fun of you all these years? That I wanted you to suffer and give up on your dreams?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sunk his head. "Of course you did..."<br/>"Why would I? If I didn't care for you, I wouldn't have paid any attention to you, but I did."<br/>Leo took more steps towards him, making him stumble backwards even further. He sighed, but didn't get any closer at first.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Those idiots weren't my friends. I hardly remember their faces. One of them was in the art club with me and started following me around at some point, because he wanted to get close to you. His dumb friends just tagged along at some point."<br/>Takumi looked at him. "To me...?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo smiled, though he looked more annoyed than pleased. "Yes, to you. You're awfully charming. I guess the fact that you aren't aware of it, makes you even more charming." He took some more steps towards him, which made Takumi effectively hit a wall.<br/>Leo sighed and placed his hand over his eyes. "I fucking hated these guys. Whenever I thought I could be alone with you, they'd find us and wreak havock."<br/>Takumi winced. He wanted to be alone with him...?<br/>Leo smiled. "You look surprised," he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Then he laughed. "Yes, I did want to be alone with you."<br/>Takumi looked to the side. Was he such an open book to him? "Then what did they even mean when they told me it was for your sake that they stole my camera?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo clenched his teeth. "I told Niles once that you wouldn't let me see the photos on your camera for some reason, but... I mean I knew your stuff. It was featured so frequently in the yearbook and everything and I know you showed them to Oboro and your friends. I..." his voice broke shortly and he sighed. "I considered you my friend, so I... I just didn't understand..." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "I think Takahiro was with us at the time, so he heard... I guess he wanted to make me happy with that...?" he explained.<br/>Takahiro... Right, that was the one guy's name...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi clawed his nails into his sleeve and looked to the ground. "Well, you've seen them... Everybody has... You know why I wouldn't show them to you..."<br/>Leo snorted. "Yeah, it was horrible to find that out," he laughed.<br/>So it as horrible... Well he couldn't blame him for thinking that. He came off like a stalker, having taken so many pictures of him without his knowledge.<br/>He felt Leo grab onto his chin and push his face up. "I feel like I fell even more in love at that point and it hasn’t stopped since."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi felt his face heat up and his chin drop.<br/>He couldn't believe he said that.<br/>Leo let his hand glide from his chin to his cheek. He smiled. "You look so surprised. Wasn't it obvious? Niles always told me that he always could tell when you were nearby, because I started smiling like an idiot and my face would go blank." He laughed, then sighed and laid his head onto his shoulder. "When I say I never know what kind of picture you make of me... I mean that... You seem to capture a side of me that I don't even know of... </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Something... Only you can see about me..." He sighed. Takumi watched his ears flush a bright pink. "When I say I don't like feeling so uncertain... It's because... God this is so embarrassing..." He clawed his finger into his shoulders, making Takumi wince slightly. He laid his hand on Leo's back, which seemed to make him relax a little.<br/>Now he laid his head on his chest and sighed. Something only he saw in him... How profound...<br/>"You see a side about me that I don't know and... But... I want to know what you see in me... I..."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sighed and lifted his head back up. Takumi felt a chill run down his spine. For some reason he felt like he knew what he wanted to tell him, even though he articulated himself like a moron. His gaze was piercing, but at the same time, his expression was soft and warm. This usually so well-spoken, smart man, looked so solemnly at him. What a beautiful picture this would make.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Takumi laid his hands around his neck. "How can you still love a man, who treated and thought of you so poorly for all of these years...?"<br/>Leo smiled. "How can you still not hate a man, who you thought of so poorly for all these years?" he answered.<br/>Takumi laughed in reply. "I was never able to hate you like I wanted to... Even back then, even now..."<br/>He looked to the side. "You've heard Oboro and me talk, didn't you? Had it not been for that incident, I would have properly fallen in love with you."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo seemed to startle. He took some steps back. "Right... But you didn't..."<br/>Takumi looked at the ground. "I didn't say that." He leaned against the wall. "It just wasn't proper, don't you think?" <br/>Leo came a little closer again. He laid his hand on his face and pulled it up. Takumi grabbed onto his hand and shakingly sunk his chin, when he came closer. “When you’re all natural, that’s when you’re most beautiful… It’s like I look at the boy that took me home in his bike in the pouring rain, when I forgot my umbrella…“ Leo winced and slightly distanced himself. “Excuse me…?“</p>
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<p>Takumk sunk his head. “You asked what I see in you… That’s it…“ He looked to the side. “That is… not only that… Everything else as well… Like, when you fought yourself through the crowds at the cafeteria in order to get us lunch. Or when Oboro fit a dress on you for her project. Or when…“</p>
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<p>“You remember all that?“ Leo suddenly interrupted him. Takumi looked to the ground. “Didn’t I say that hadn’t it been for your friends, I would have properly fallen in love…? Those are the reasons why. You were so kind to me and my friends… I felt more and more drawn to you every day, but I… every time these guys were with you, I remembered that I shouldn’t, considering the kinds of people you were surrounding yourself with…“</p>
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<p>Again, Leo pushed his face up and closed up. “Then please fall in love properly with me now,“ he whispered. Then he kissed him slightly. Takumi laid his hands on his back.<br/>As if he wasn’t already…</p>
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